The February Tales!
by Gamerwhogames
Summary: Welcome one and all to the February Tales! Starting tomorrow and throughout the month of February, I will be taking your suggestions and turning them into romantic oneshots. Guidelines are inside! Leave a suggestion!
1. Welcome to the Feb Tales!

**Ladies 'n gentlemints, welcome one and all to "The February Tales!" Get ready to fall in love again, because here's what's going on!**

 **Shipping oneshots all February! How lovely. This is all very last-minute, and I have very little planned and that's why I'm opening this story up to SUGGESTIONS! All throughout February, suggest different ships and scenarios you want to see, especially ships featuring your favorite Season 2 characters! I'll even do some XReaders if that floats your boat. You can submit a ship and a brief description of a scenario, or you can just submit the name of a ship and see what ol' Gamer cranks out!**

 **If you're submitting a scenario, let's try to keep The Feb Tales positive by avoiding dark or uncomfortable topics like the survival of sexual-assault, mental-disorders, or controversial issues). I'd write out a huge disclaimer, but I'll just boil it down to two reasons: I'm not prepared as a writer and a person to discuss or write about characters with mental-disorders or traumatic experiences, and I don't want to contribute to a destructive culture by misrepresenting their experiences by writing mentally-ill characters, instead of characters with mental-illnesses, if you understand what I mean.**

 **Above all, please no smut and definitely NO LEMONS for ANY SHIPPING. C'mon, guys, Holy Water is expensive. The "worst" I'll be writing is a passionate kiss, very implicit. Also, I won't be writing BoyXBoy or GirlXGirl ships.**

 **Here's a tip: If you want to add a certain emotion to a ship without describing a situation, try something like Sad!JackXReader or Furious!BenedictXPlayful!Reuben. Just a pointer.**

 **I really wanted to write something for you guys, but writer's block hit me near the end of a successful oneshot for this, and I couldn't imagine uploading something unfinished. I'll have it up eventually, but for now I'm living on your suggestions! Cheers, and happy Valentine's Day.**

 **Close it, Bob.**

 **Bob: (closes it)**


	2. Day One: RomeoXXara

**Honestly, picking a ship was a toughie decision. Romeara enticed me because it was a great, new S2 ship to try out, but I'd have to choose that over a redemptive Jessaiden shot, and you all know I'm a stickler for Jessaiden. Then there were two classics, Jesskas and Jestra. Hmm… a giant dork, or two little dorks? Decisions, decisions. Then there was a late-entry staring Stampy and Stacy, which provided me with the chance to be silly. Sacrifices were made, and I went with, drumroll, please…**

 **Bob: Yeah, I don't do drumrolls. Ironically.**

 **Oh… um, real quick for you readers out there? This is Bob the spider. Since you're all wondering what happened to Crisper, you should know that in the middle of one of my stories, he upped and ran off to acting school, hiring Bob to take his place. How is Crisper doing? I have no clue. He hasn't been gone long, but he hasn't sent any updates. I'm starting to miss him. Well, seeing as we don't have a drumroll (because face it, I can't drumroll either), I'll just say it:**

 **I'm writing Romeara! I can't surpass a (relatively) new Season 2 ship! Besides, I love Romeo, he's a great character. I don't know much about Xara's true personality, since the only Xara we know is the ferocious one, but I'm a self-proclaimed 'mini-theorist'. I'll draw a few conclusions and try to create a pre-Xara.**

 **One more thing before we get started. This is for Ariza: I'm really glad that you took the time to leave a suggestion. I really appreciate that, and you should know, but I thought I made myself clear when I told everyone I wouldn't be writing yaoi- or yuri-themed ships. Please don't see this as being called out or anything like that. I just wanted to remind you about that, and also let you know that I didn't completely ignore your suggestion. Every review and prompt means so much to me! I hope you can still enjoy the Feb Tales.**

 **Hit it, Crisp… I mean, Bob. Man, I'm starting to miss that guy. I wonder what he's up to.**

 **Bob: (hits it)**

* * *

Eye-opening conversations never start or end on couches in front of coffee-tables. Maybe they start there, but they always end up with friends laying on the floor like it's a meadow of rich grass, staring up at the popcorn-ceiling like it's a galaxy full of stars. Not that Romeo, Xara and Fred didn't have an extraterrestrial view right outside their door. Romeo wasn't sure how it happened, but he was laying on the hard, wooden floor with Xara and Fred. No one said a word. It was one of those silent, end-of-the-day moments when you and your friends simply existed in a room together, letting smirks and glances do the talking.

Xara was looking at the ceiling, oblivious to Romeo. Romeo was staring at Xara, oblivious to Fred. Fred was fine with not being watched. Romeo knew he was getting his eyes opened that night, or at least one of them. How? He was barely sure. His friend Fred, on the other hand, knew just how and exactly when. But, as mentioned before, Romeo was completely oblivious to his old friend's wiles. Fred stood to his feet and the floor creaked under his heaviness, catching Romeo's and Xara's attention.

"Where are you going?" Romeo asked.

Fred smirked at him. "Just outside, give you two some space." He was gone. Romeo and Xara were in the room, alone. Romeo felt the ease in the room stretching into tension. He kept his eyes on the door. He could feel Xara staring at him, not saying a word. Just gazing at his short, auburn hair.

"Hey, Romeo," He rolled over. Xara lay on her side at arm's length from him, a soft grin on her lapis-blue face. Her curly, purple locks hung down either temple, and she wore a snug-fitting, white tee. He took in her blue skin. It was like his, but delicate, smooth. They were so alike, yet so different. It enthralled him into silence. Her brows pinched, and she swatted his cheek. "Romeo, you're staring."

He stroked his cheek, rolling onto his back. "Sorry." He was, and bitterly so, despite the deflecting smirk on his face. As warmth tingled in his cheeks, he cursed Fred for leaving him alone with her. A creative mastermind with a wandering mind, he was often the scorn of dinner-parties and other social events.

He chuckled, rolling onto his back. "Sorry." He was, and bitterly so. As warmth tingled in his cheeks he cursed Fred for leaving him alone with her. People scared him. Without Fred serving as a buffer between them, Xara terrified him. "What were you saying?"

"Just 'hey'." He imagined her placidly smiling, the annoyance gone from her face. The silence calmed him. There was no need to hold up a conversation. He could imagine her in peace, admire her.

Before Fred and Xara, he didn't have the luxury of sharing anything with anyone in his existence. No one else had his god-like abilities, his cerulean skin, yellow eyes that shone in the darkness, not even the intensity of his red, sweeping crown. Entertainment. Cool tricks and builds. That's all they wanted from him. Friendship? They made him feel like he was destined for the display case. Their ideal friendship-model was a hunter's prized mount, mere taxidermy. It was a while before he ran into Fred, and he often wondered if he'd gone through the same life of stardom and glamour, poked and prodded for unlimited resources, begged for 'that cool trick you did yesterday' time and time again. Fred, his first real friend, blue-skinned and demigod to boot. Romeo's ego took a hit when it turned out Fred wasn't even impressed with him at first, but his heart was willing to make that sacrifice. He was supposed to feel content, fulfilled, and he was.

Mostly.

He turned to see her gazing at the ceiling again, bored nails clicking against the wooden floor. Pouring his heart out to her nearly daunted him into silence. Maybe Fred's absence wasn't such a bad thing. Pouring out hearts still felt too dramatic, too risky, he thought. Wouldn't a simple confession do?

He straightened himself out on the floor which sent pinpricks of pain through his shoulder-blades. Xara stared at the ceiling, her world familiar and intact. He feared his 'confession' wasn't so simple, enough to shatter that peace and scare her away. But as he thought about it, where would the blue-skinned woman run to? He and Fred were all the Admin had. Xara was all he had. He tried to convince himself the worst that would happen was an awkward silence, days of awkward silence at most, then normalcy again. But normalcy discouraged him. Normalcy meant going back to waiting, hoping there was another woman like her in the world. There probably wasn't. Except "probably" in his case meant "definitely". He bit his lip. Rejection would mean so much.

But how much more so eternal silence?

"Um, Xara." He kept his eyes on the ceiling, even when she tilted her head towards him.

"Hmm?"

"I was just thinking, and, there—" He cut off and glanced at her. Making eye-contact with her instead of stalling with 'um's and 'you know's? Costly. Her rich, dark eyes fired heat up and down his arms, but he couldn't look away. Not stalling, completely stopping. Cherishing her eyes, his lips slipping into a grin.

"Romeo," her impatient, toe-tapping voice made him look away. He could feel her glare, thankfully not another scolding pop to the cheek to accompany. "So, what were you saying?" Her voice was soft, inquisitive.

"There aren't many like us out there, you know."

She relaxed on the floor, putting her arms behind her neck and crossing one leg over the other. "Gosh, Romeo, I was hoping for something a little more profound."

He raised a brow at her. "Xara, I'm being serious."

"Me, too."

"Xara," her name rumbled low in his throat. He rolled over, his eyes piercing her playful ones. "Would you please just listen to me? This is important." Maybe if she wasn't so quirky, he'd be able to get this over with. By now they'd be in bed, asleep. He wondered how far past their normal bedtimes it was, how much it was getting to her. How much it was getting to him. Her laughing expression faded into a sober grin. She was perfectly sane, and so was he. He was really getting ready to do this. He forced himself to hold eye-contact. "I've been waiting a long time to meet someone like you."

She propped herself up on an elbow, brushing a stray curl from her face. "Really?"

"Really." His eyes trailed back to the ceiling as he let himself remember what life was like before her. "Life was pretty boring before I met you, lonesome."

"But you had Fred."

He grinned. "I did. But, there were just things I couldn't say to Fred that," he hesitated, "that I could say to you."

Her lips parted in thought, then she nodded. "Mm. Anything on your mind?"

He felt a twinge of anxiety in his stomach and sat up, looking directly at her. His eyes fell to her hand and he gently took it in his. "I think I'm in love with you, or at least falling?" He tilted his head, his brows furrowed and an iffy grin on his face. She looked at their loose hands, then smiled at him.

"Anything else?"

He scooted closer to her, taking in her affectionate gaze. "So much else. Xara, I've been waiting all my life for someone with even the same skin color as mine. Everywhere I went, people were so different from me. They could never accept me the way I was and, if we're being completely honest, I couldn't accept them, either. I had no one to talk to like I do now. When Fred came along, I thought that would be it for me, I'd be fully happy but," he shook his head, eyeing the floor, "I wasn't. Not until I met you." He moved a hand to her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "It took a while for me to figure it out, but you're just what I've been looking for. You have blue skin, you can do _almost_ as much as I can."

"Hold on, 'almost'? Romeo, letting that ego of yours get the best of you." She jabbed him in the chest where he supposedly stored that full-of-himself mindset. "We all know I was the best at building. My designs are far more efficient than yours."

He tilted his head with a smug grin. "Simplistic is a better word." She rolled her eyes at him, saying nothing else. "It's good to have someone to joke around with, to really, truly be there for me. I know you and Fred sometimes ask me for favors, but you're not like _them_. Fred's my friend, and I was hoping, maybe you'd be okay if we were more than just friends." He looked away from her when he said this. It was only a matter of seconds before reality set in, before she made her choice. What if she was joking before, or bored? He didn't know what he'd do if she said 'no', but he was sure he was about to find out. He started to prepare his mind for that trip back to "normal" life when….

She pecked him on the cheek!

His eyes widened and he snapped his head right to look at her. She laughed at the stricken expression on his face, the mixture of horror and relief and surprise. Eventually a smile crept across his lips and his lids and body relaxed. He pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head. "I love you, Xara."

"I love you, too, Romeo."

* * *

 **Aaand day one of the February Tales! So sorry this came out a day late, but writer's block, man. It just won't leave me alone. Well, be sure to leave a new suggestion! I'll definitely consider some of the previous ones, but I think it's always good to freshen the batch, y'know? I might even give a ship of my own. Well, bye! Close it, Bob. I'll try to get in touch with Crisper.**

 **Bob: (closes it)**


	3. Day Two: Regretful AidenXForgiving Jesse

**Ever remember that school assignment you've been procrastinating on and start rubbing your hands together like an anxious fly on green coffee thinking, 'I should probably get that done'? Because that was me a few minutes ago. And, no, I still haven't done it.**

 **Welcome back to the Feb Tales! I want to thank you for your support for this story so far, because it means a lot to me. I'm taking a suggestion from ChocoDrake, who wants to see what I can do with Regretful!AidenXForgiving!Jessica. It went better than I could've ever expected.**

 **Personal question: Ever did something you regret? Don't answer that, I'm sure you have. I have regrets, too. Better question: Is it still nagging you to this day, as if you'd done it just yesterday? If that is you, I highly suggest you keep reading all the way to the end. Seriously, this gets deep. Does anyone remember chapter two or three of "Countdown to 2", the one with Reuben? Imagine that, but a bit deeper. Tap it with care, Bob.**

 **Bob: What?**

 **OHMAGOODGRIEFIFCRISPERDOESN'TGETBACKHERE-!**

 **(taps it with surprising care despite my yelling)**

* * *

A year. It had been little over a year of marriage to Jessica, and now Aiden lay awake in bed wondering how he'd done it. How Jessica managed to put up with him. How he hadn't ruined everything by now. How Lukas even cared to say hi. He wondered how he'd done it all. It was Wednesday the fourteenth, a little past ten in the morning. He was a head taller than Jessica, allowing her to nuzzle his neck, his arm wrapped around her. He tried to think of her instead, what he could do to make this day that was so important to her enjoyable, or at least bearable. He didn't always think about his past or his present in this shade, or it didn't bite this hard into him.

Maybe it was all the love in the air.

His wife stirred awake beside him and he tried to relax. Maybe she'd forget about Valentine's today, like he'd always wished. Or at least she'd treat it like a normal day. Didn't she know by now what this oh-so-special day did to him? He started to regret all the silence, all the 'I'm fine's, of course, not enough to actually do something about it.

When she woke up, she sealed his fate with a kiss that was supposed to please him. "Happy Valentine's Day, Aiden." She smiled at him, further tightening the heavy knot of guilt forming in his chest.

"You, too." He tried to smile at her, at least enjoy the kiss. He couldn't. His fake-grin dissolved into a dead stare at his feet.

Jessica frowned and gently stroked his cheek to catch his eye. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing." He shook his head and grinned. "Just a bit tired. Couldn't sleep well last night."

"Well, do you want me to make you some coffee?"

"No, you don't have to. I can make it myself." He was out of bed and off to the kitchen before she could protest, leaving Jessica sitting on the disheveled white blankets. She stared at her hands, resting on the dip in the bed where he just lay. Aiden had no favor for personal favors. It was too much work for her. She was busy enough as it was. He didn't want her going through all that trouble for him, not even to brew a cup of Joe. He'd gladly do it himself, and then a hundred other things to make sure she was dishes, scrubbing the floors and rearranging the books, running errands through town for her. Once, he'd even offered to sort through those tedious civilian requests for her, her job as Hero in Residence of Beacontown. She used to enjoy the thoughtful acts of her affectionate, loving husband, but that was before she saw them as they really were: strategic apologies from a regretful slave to the past. How could she enjoy that?

She smoothed out the blankets, wishing she could do the same to him, and left for the kitchen. She was just in time to catch him adding the final touches to the elegant table, a few oxeye daisies to a glass vase in the center of the table. White china plates of scrambled eggs and toast rested atop an embroidered tablecloth Jessica hadn't seen since their honeymoon. She smirked at the story and the rogue behind it. Aiden was just determined to bring something home with them from the hotel, a keepsake of sorts. If it meant stealing, that's what it meant, he'd said after pulling it out of his pocket to surprise her on the way home. He was playful then. Free, if just for a few weeks.

Aiden smiled at her as she made her way to the table. "You set all this up in just five minutes?"

He sent her a sideways smirk and shrugged. "Guess I've still got it, huh?" He pulled out a chair for her and she took a seat. He sat directly across from her at the small, circular table for two. He passed her some butter for her toast and they began a lovely breakfast that was soon to end.

"So, I don't have to be at office, so, we've got the hold day to ourselves."

Aiden glanced up from his eggs. "The whole day?"

She nodded with a grin. "That means we can do whatever we want for Valentine's." As she took a bite of her toast, Aiden put his fork down and softly sighed out.

"I was kind of hoping we could maybe stay inside, then. Just relax?" He avoided her eyes and scratched his nose. "You didn't have plans, did you?" Jessica shook her head and glanced away, but Aiden could see it in her eyes. She didn't have plans. He was supposed to! Other than sitting around in the house all day. He spotted the clock on the kitchen wall just above the stove. It wasn't even noon yet, and he was already messing things up. He didn't like Valentine's day, to Jessica it was one of the most important days of the year, a day of love, making a big to-do about Valentine's cards to her friends, popping half-melted chocolate-hearts into the hands of anyone she remotely knew for the sake of it, never missing the chance for a hug or a kiss. The least he could've done was try to enjoy it? Again. "Or we could go out to eat somewhere? Someplace nice, fancy." He didn't look at her but he could feel her warm beam.

"That sounds romantic." At least he was trying, she thought. There was still hope he'd get over his past one of these days, if at all.

He glanced at her with a humble smile and submissive eyes. "Anything for you, Jess." His words were supposed to make her feel good. Of course, they didn't. She broke eye-contact and started picking up the plates, only to be stopped by her supportive husband. Big surprise. "No, allow me." In one move he swept the table clear of plates and silverware and headed to the sink. He busied himself with suds and scrubs, even as Jessica leaned on the counter right beside him and stood watch. He clattered and bothered as much as he could in the sink, scrubbing away at the soft egg that had washed off earlier, making sure all the two dishes they'd used that morning were in perfect condition, meticulously inspecting two tedious forks and

"Aiden, I think we need to talk."

"Hmm?" He turned on the sink to rinse off the plates, but Jessica turned it right off. "Jess, I'm trying to wash the dishes." He held one under the sink, but she gently took it and weighed it down.

"It can wait."

He turned to face her. "Alright, what do you wanna talk about?" His voice hinted that he probably knew, but then that could've been anything. He was always tense on Valentine's. She took his wet, soapy forearm and led him to the couch. They sat angled in to one another, and she didn't let go of his hand. His pursed lips reflected his tension. His eyes locked with hers, calmly begging the silence to end.

"Aiden?"

"Yes?"

Jessica hesitated. This wouldn't be easy, but he needed to hear this. "Do you still feel guilty?" She looked into his eyes, willing him to tell the truth. His hesitation worried her, but she didn't want to hastily judge. But she did. She really did. Especially when he shook his head.

"No, I'm good." Her eyes burned into him, right past his lying grin. "Jess, I'm serious, I'm fine, okay? Don't worry about me." Her lips flattened, and she shook her head. He chuckled at her and kissed her forehead, pulling her onto his lap. "You worry too much. I'm going to be alright, okay? It's gonna be a good day." A day as good as he was doing. Jessica couldn't bring herself to nod. Aiden couldn't bring himself to smile, truly. He patted her on the back and kissed her cheek again before standing and heading for his room. "I'm gonna go put on something decent, then we could go outside?" She nodded and grinned somberly. At least he was trying. When he left, she went into the kitchen to make them lunch.

Aiden walked into the room to change his clothes. But first he beat himself up for ruining Jessica's day.

It felt good to breathe in the fresh air, walk around in the great outdoors. Their house was situated alone in a forest, a little walk from Beacontown. The trees everywhere filtered out the sun, so it was always pleasantly cool underneath their shade. Jessica kept her eyes on the dirt road as they ambled along, hand in hand. Aiden occasionally gave her a guilty glance he was glad she didn't notice. It was a blessing that he could've made the day worse because that meant the situation wasn't impossible, but a curse because there were still wrong things to say, wrong thoughts to think. He breathed out. He could do this. Your day was as positive as you were, he'd overheard Jesse saying a few times.

"So, lunch or dinner?"

"I have the whole day with you, remember, silly?" She smiled at him and hugged him to her side.

"I know, I just figured maybe you'd want to spend the day with some of your girlfriends."

"But then what would you do?"

The piercing thought of hanging out with Jessica's brother, Jesse, and Lukas made him wince. "Work on some of those drafts."

"All alone by yourself?" Jessica made poutey-lips, trying to joke the lone-wolf out of him. Aiden chuckled humorlessly.

"If that's what it comes to, I guess so. I'll be fine."

Fine. Jessica was starting to hate that word in his mouth. She walked a bit closer to him, hugged a bit tighter. "Well, I want to spend the whole day with you. I can see Petra and Olivia another day. Let's go down here." They rounded a path that lead to a secret pond in the forest, a place just for them. Their feet crunched on the shore of crushed rocks as they walked to a large, smooth stone.

"Well, what are we doing over here?" Aiden asked as he hoisted her onto the rock and then climbed on. Jessica pulled two somethings out of her pocket, wrapped in a fancy napkin. She peeled it back to reveal the two pita and turkey sandwiches, one loaded with tomatoes, Aiden's favorite.

"Romantic lunch!" She pushed it into his hand and started on hers. A few slices of turkey-meat, with an indulgent helping of tomatoes, sandwiched between pita bread, hence the name. A simple, but thoughtful, lunch item. So, why did Aiden feel like he was about to take a bite out of Jessica's life-savings? Better question. Why was she going through all of this for him? Why had they even gotten married? Romance, forgiveness, or maybe it felt like forgiveness before. Maybe he was high on freedom, something he knew he didn't deserve but was more than grateful for anyways. But now? He didn't even want to talk about it.

He was so deep in emotion and thought he didn't notice he was slumping over his sandwich, head hanging and eyes drooping, the epitome of a low self-esteem. Nor did he notice Jessica's stare. "Aiden, what's wrong?" She demanded. Aiden started to answer. "And please don't tell me you're 'fine'."

"But—"

"You're crying over a sandwich."

"I'm not crying." He whimpered before he realized the tearstains across his face and the moisture collecting under his chin. Why was he so sensitive? His cheeks flared with heat and his vision blurred with salty, stubborn tears he couldn't blink away no matter how hard he tried.

"Aiden, what's wrong?"

I don't deserve you. You should be with someone else. The past isn't my home, but I'm stuck there anyways. I should still be in jail. You went through so much trouble for me. Why are we even married?

They'd dated about seven years, but that was irrelevant. He'd been bottling this up since Sky City, where Gill and Maya insisted on being his friends while they were beaten and tortured day and night in jail, for his stupidity. He didn't just hate Valentine's Day. He loathed himself, too.

He wanted to lie again. Jessica would see right through it. He had no choice. It was now or never. In a way, he was glad they hadn't gone to Beacontown. He wasn't afraid of crying in the public eye. What terrified him was that he wouldn't.

"I'm so sorry." Talking and holding back sobs wasn't a simple task.

Jessica leaned into him, her voice a gentle whisper. "For what?"

Where did he start? Where did he finish? "Everything." He almost wanted to laugh at himself. His whole life was something to apologize for. "Bullying you, burning down your builds, hating you, stealing from you—"

"Aiden,"

"I tried to kill you, too." His voice was a mixture of sniffles, hiccups and whimpers only Jessica had the pain of understanding.

She tilted her head, squeezing his shoulder, almost wanting to cry herself. _"Aiden,"_

"I don't deserve you, Jess." He dropped his face into his hands and cried, 'I'm sorry' hissing through his fingers countless times. Jessica hugged his broad, shaking shoulders. It surprised her that he didn't push her away. Maybe he hadn't thought about it yet. She held him close, not caring to revisit those events stored deep in her mind and soul. They didn't matter to her anymore. He'd changed, inside and out. She thought he'd at least noticed his own progress.

When he finally found the strength to hold back his tears, he was a hiccupping, bleary-eyed mess of a twenty-something man, slouching like a nobody, feeling like he was king of the monsters. Jessica held onto him because their lives depended on it. "Aiden," he glanced at her, hardly able to keep eye-contact. "That happened a long time ago. You don't need to keep holding onto that. You can't."

"But—"

"No, you need to understand that. You need to let it go and know that we all love you. Lukas, Jesse, all of us have forgiven you, Aiden."

"I know, but," he shook his heads, tears brimming his lids, "I still feel so guilty, for that, and for tying you down to me when you could be with someone else."

She slowly shook her head in disbelief. "Aiden, you did not tie me down when you proposed to me." She touched his cheek and made him look at her, tears still dripping down his face. The faint glimmer of a smirk crossed her face, hindered solely by somberness. "I knew exactly who I was falling in love with when we started dating, and I knew exactly who I was going to spend the rest of my life with when I said, 'I do'. That was my decision, and I don't regret it at all. Trust me, I didn't date you seven years because it seemed nice. I got to know you, the real you, and I'd choose you every single day."

His lips crumbled, throat tightened. Every exhale fanned the flame of his cheeks. He could barely speak. "You really mean that?"

She looked into his eyes, speaking straight to his soul. "Yes." Saying he broke down seemed paradoxical. When he was finished sobbing, he'd know the only thing he owed Jessica was a romantic dinner.

* * *

 **Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.**

 **Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.**

 **Colossians 3:14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.**

 **Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come form the presence of the Lord,**

 **Ephesians 1:7-8 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,**

 **Isaiah 1:18 'Come now, and let us reason together,' says the Lord, 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool'.**

 **Colossians 1:13-14 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and sin and brought us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.**

 **1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.**

 **Okay, you guys still with me? I'll have you know that was probably the flowiest writing I've ever done if you consider my previous bouts with writer's block, but I hope the message of forgiveness rings through. It doesn't matter what you've done, what you've thought about doing, or even what you** _ **didn't**_ **do, you can be forgiven! Don't let anyone on the face of the earth take that away from you: Forgiveness is FREE and it is for EVERYONE! It's for the people who you think are perfect (because face it, nobody's perfect), all the way down to the impossibles, the unreachables. It doesn't matter who you think you are. Jesus loves EVERYONE! That doesn't mean we should continue living in sin, but don't think for a that you have to "get it together" before coming to Him. No one is too ill to be visited by a doctor, and nobody's too sinful to come to Jesus. He's always waiting for you with open arms, whether you're stealing your 400** **th** **cookie or preening your angel-wings. There's nothing you can do to outrun His love for you, no matter what anyone says, not even the church (they're a group of people who make mistakes, not God). Don't ever let anyone keep you from Jesus' love, no matter where you are or what you're doing, good or bad. He loves EVERYONE, and that means you too!**

 **I understand, it's a lot, and you're probably imagining me screaming at you, but I'm not. I just really wanted to get that across to you guys. I don't even know what happened to this oneshot. It was not supposed to go this deep, or maybe it was….**

 **Still there? Good! Well, that was a pretty emotional one, so tomorrow, I'm going to write something over-the-top hilarious starring everyone's favorite, Radar. After taking a few more requests, I'll show you all that lovely romantic dinner Aiden was planning. It's kind of a Sorry-I-Made-U-Cry care package? Sorry, tissues not included xD. Well, thanks for reading and I'll see you tomorrow! Close it, Bob!**

 **Bob: (closes it)**


	4. Day Three (or something): Radar's Day!

**Hey, guys! I hope I didn't scare anyone away last chapter. Seriously, I'm calm and sane again. ;D**

 **Welcome back to the February Tales! Why didn't we get an update yesterday? You should know! It starts with a D and ends with an E.**

 _ **DEADLINES~!**_

 **As I promised, we're going to see our little intern Radar in a humorous Valentine's Adventure, but first—**

 **REVIEWS! Or, if we're being more specific,**

 **GENERAL REVIEWS THAT ARE NOT REQUESTS BECAUSE IF I RESPOND TO A REQUEST IT'S A WHOLE CHAPTER AND AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT, SO….**

 **Alice Forshadow: Aww, thanks!**

 **TheAmberShadow: LOL, #ComeHomeCrisper. Couldn't stop laughing!**

 **Unimportant: I kind of thought they were synonymous, but I apologize since I offended you, and to anyone else who might've been offended too. When I read this, I went back and changed it. I just thought it was common, synonymous jargon. I won't be using those words again.**

 **Alrighty, then! Let's get to the story—**

 _ **But Gamer!**_ **Called that voice in my head,** _ **You said a chapter ago you'd try to get in touch with Crisper!**_

 **I did say that, didn't I… well, while the chapter's going, I'll get in touch with him using only the latest in communications technology! (walks over a rotary-dial telephone and starts spinning in random numbers) Hit it, Bob, this is gonna take a while.**

 **Bob: (hits it)**

* * *

Radar was almost never invited to any parties in his life, besides that really lame one from grade-school. He'd only gone to avoid offending the sensitive angel of a thirteen-year-old girl (who he kind of liked, by the way). In the end, he had his regrets, and possibly a few diseases from those kids who'd never heard of serving with utensils instead of their bare hands. Also, she had her sights on someone else. But when Jessica invited him to a Valentine's party with just her and some of her friends (whom all comprised the New Order, mind you), Radar could shove those boring memories behind where they belonged.

This party was a new kind of terror.

He leaned on a wall in the room, safely stowed away from the center of the attention. Lukas and Axel mingled by the concessions table, which held a few heart-shaped chocolate-chip cookies Radar prided himself in making, and a bowl of pink lemonade brought by Olivia. An empty pie-tin sat next to the bowl of lemonade. A way off, Petra and Olivia chatted amongst each other, mumbling too low for Radar to hear. Or maybe it was that he was preoccupied with being perfect to hear. Worrying was time-consuming work. He was sure they were only chatting about the most heroic things, or at least what they did when they weren't saving the world, only the best and most interesting topics. He wanted to join them, as it turned out distracting a mile-high Enderman to help prisoners from below the bedrock make it to safety earned him bragging rights. Or did it? He knew Axel alone would've been able to out-tell his stories. What did he have to hold his own? What stories of bravery could he tell them? He didn't even want to get started on his daily life. Serving as Jessica's understudy was the pride and joy of his entire life, but filing papers and managing the city wouldn't cut it today.

He saw Jessica walking towards him and he smiled at her. She was a comforting, familiar face in a sea of idols, gods. She stood beside him and slung an arm over his shoulder. "Hey, boss." He said.

"Hey, Radar, you okay? You're standing here all by yourself." She said.

"Oh, yeah," he rubbed his neck and smiled at his feet, "I'm not really good at starting up conversations, so…."

She playfully shook his shoulders. "Sure, you are. You just need to relax a little." She glanced around at her old friends and grinned. "They won't bite, I promise. Why don't you go chat with Lukas? He's pretty easy to talk to."

Radar glanced at Lukas, who was still engrossed in his conversation with Axel. Finding a way in would be difficult, but it would be worth it. He nodded, a smile creeping across his face. "I guess I'll give it a shot."

Jessica squeezed his shoulder. "I'm gonna go hang out with the girls. Go start a conversation, it'll be okay."

"Alright, then," he looked down, shoving his hands into his pockets and grinning, "thanks for the pep-talk, Jessica."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Happy Valentine's, Radar." She walked off to join Olivia and Petra, leaving Radar to gawk at his own shoes. Have a conversation with Lukas? Not a chance, but it wasn't at all that Radar felt nervous.

It was because he couldn't even move from his spot.

He gingerly lifted a hand to touch his cheek. He couldn't believe it. He was too astonished to even grin, comically slack-jaw. It was so swift, so simple, but it would leave him dumbfounded for a lifetime. Fever razed his whole body. His cheeks went red. His lips, pressed into a thin, taut line, curled into a quirky smirk. His heart skipped a beat. Two. Three. Four. Five. Wait….

Sweet-smelling lemonade exploded onto his face, causing Radar to jolt awake. He slowly sat up, whimpering softly as he rubbed his aching head. When he opened his eyes, he stopped breathing again. Jesse, Olivia, Axel, Petra and Lukas were all staring at him. right at him. He looked at his legs to avoid their eyes, wishing he could disappear in a snap.

Jessica, who kneeled directly in front of him, put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Radar, you just fainted. Do you feel okay?"

He rubbed his neck. "I think so."

"Do you remember what happened?"

He remembered alright. Crystal clear. "Um, yes?"

"What do you think caused it?"

The concerned audience tuned their ears to hear his answer in all its glory. To think he was afraid of telling him he outran an Enderman as tall as a beacon's ray before. 'Jessica kissed my cheek and I fainted'? This was not how he wanted to go down in history. He'd take that Enderman any day. "Um… it must just be that lately I've been a little bit… stressed out?" It was believable, and even a bit true. Working the city was no easy job. 'Stressfun', as he coined it.

"Okay, then." Jessica said. "Do you still need to lie down?"

Axel straightened and started to walk off. "Maybe you should, at home. Party's pretty much over."

"He's right, it's getting kind of late. You should rest." Lukas said. "Here, let me help you up." He held out his hand, and Radar clasped it like a normal person would. His next fanboying might've been his last, and he needed to be as cautious and as normal as possible. When Lukas pulled him to his feet, the world seemed to tilt and darken. His blonde hero steadied him with firm arms until he got his bearings. "You got it?"

"Yeah, I-I think I'm good. Th-thanks." He tried to keep the pitch of his voice low. One wrong move and it was back to the floor with him.

"Maybe you should take the day off tomorrow." Jessica told him, not suggested. Radar had worked with her long enough to know what she meant.

"You need help getting home?" Axel asked, holding out his bulky arms. "I could carry you, if you want."

"N-no, no, I'm good." He carefully footed his way to the door. Mid-walk, he nearly staggered to the floor, hearing a series of gasps behind him. He quickly turned around with a nervous grin. "It's alright. I'm good." He survived the walk to the door, unaware of the concerned grimacing and flinches he conjured with his unsteady walking.

"Are you sure you don't need help getting home?" Axel asked. It almost sounded like he _wanted_ to carry him home.

"No, thanks. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight!" Chorused the New Order.

Radar made it home that night with a clear head, but a restless one at that. The bursts of sleep were short and hollow, and the lengthy waking-hours were full of thoughts and swearing he'd never wash his face again as long as he lived. He knew full and well that this didn't mean anything relationship-wise (he had this secret hunch that Jessica was leaning towards Lukas, thought that wasn't news). It was more like an autograph, an invisible one that went on his face. The knot on his head, however, _wasn't_ an autograph, and he would gladly part with it as soon as possible.

Morning came, but the way he greeted it would've frightened it away, bringing back an eternal night and possibly a therapist. He said it with the juvenile innocence of a fanboy, but gave off the air of a stalker settling on a new subject.

"She kissed my face."

He threw off the covers and bounded out of bed, plodded to the other side of his bedroom to inspect his cheek in the mirror. He said it again, his excitement expanding at exponential rates.

"She actually kissed my face!"

He ran to the windows and threw them open, a modern-day Scrooge on Christmas Day. "GOLLY, GEE! SHE KISSED MY FACE!"

A flurry of parrots went up, and so did perturbed eyes. An old man hobbled by Radar's apartment flat, his face mangled with disdain. "Those blasted millennials and their 'golly gees'." Radar didn't care for his complaints. Jessica had given him the day off, anyways, a full day of ignoring people and their tedious requests.

And telling the world about his Valentine's Day.

He ran out the door, neglecting to eat even a piece of toast. Despite his well-stocked kitchen, he was heading for the grocery store do to some shopping. Reasonable excuses to share of this wonderful occurrence with whomever he pleased (everyone) awaited just beyond the automatic-doors of Craft-Mart.

When he arrived, he rushed right through said doors, not caring to grab a shopping cart. No need to buy food he already had. This whole trip was an excuse to satisfy his inner critic, the voice in his head that said, 'Radar, what even?'

'I'm just going shopping. If I bump into someone, I'll tell them about last night.'

'Well, if you really want a bang for your buck, you should see a therapist. Gloat all you want and get the help you so desperately need!'

Before Radar could tell that inner critic of his to shut up, he bumped into someone, a familiar face that brought memories making him want to leap for joy and rip his to-do book to frustrated shreds.

"Eli!"

Eli took only a moment to recognize Radar's face, then smiled. "Radar, what's going on?" He slung Radar's hand before pulling him into a man-hug.

"So, what brings you here? Getting something for someone special?"

"Yep, discount chocolates for my sweetheart."

"Who's that? Just curious."

Eli chuckled and pointed to himself with his thumbs. "Well, me, of course. Who else? What about you, Radar? Single, too?"

"Oh, yeah. But life's pretty busy on its own, you know? I could wait."

"Same." He noticed how Radar shuffled from one foot to the other. "You seem excited. Something happen?" He asked as he went to grab a shopping-cart.

Radar's smile stretched across his face. Now was the time! "You bet!"

"Tell me about it." Radar followed Eli as he walked to the chocolate isle. Eli inspected a large bag of chocolates, deciding if it would be a bang for his buck. "Someone catch your eye yesterday?"

"Not exactly, but something _amazing_ happened!" He clasped his hands together, remembering even the more embarrassing parts of the night as a part of the masterpiece. "Well, last night I got invited to this party with Jessica, but I was feeling pretty nervous because everyone was there like Lukas, Axel, Petra, Olivia. Understandably, I was a bit freaked out because I didn't know what to say or do. But!" He paused, suddenly conscious of his rambling. Eli turned around to listen. "But… Jessica came over to give me a pep-talk aaand…."

"And?"

He tried not to squeal, gently patting his cheek. He forced himself to stand still, though he looked like a child ready to dart. "She kissed me on the cheek right here!" He squeaked. Eli raised a brow and nodded, proud to see a fellow brother having a good time with the ladies.

"Sweet. So, you two like a thing now, or…?"

"Oh, no! I'm sure we'll always be just friends. Besides," he leaned in, putting a hand near his mouth to whisper, "she's kind of out of my league."

Eli gave a huge nod and smirked. "True. Very true." Radar gently punched him on the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?"

"She's not _that_ out of my league."

"Sure, she isn't. Anyways," he lugged a few bags into his cart, "if you two aren't getting serious, why are you so excited? I mean, it's kind of weird."

Radar tilted his head. "Weird, like the fact that you're buying five bags of chocolate?"

Eli stopped and rolled his eyes. Radar smirked. "No, not 'weird'-weird. Just… unusual. It's like when you send an email, but it fails, but you're happy anyways? I just don't get it. Also, I have friends I'm sharing this with."

"Who?"

He paused with a droll look on his face. "Me, myself and I. I like chocolate, especially when it's 70% off. But back to the real issue. Explain it to me." He leaned on his shopping cart, somehow managing to hold it in place.

Radar rubbed his neck, smiling at his feet. "You know, I've been a fan of Jessica for a long time, and, so… you know, it's, uh… kind of like getting an autograph."

Eli took a second to let it sink in, then nodded. "I get it."

A round man bumped into Radar. He bore a few crates of colorful eggs and an excited look on his face. "Excuse me! Just dropping in these Easter decorations for the décor team."

Eli and Radar both gave him a skeptical look. "Easter?" Radar asked. "Valentine's Day was literally yesterday. February's not even over with! Plus, there's the whole month of March in between, and—"

"Oh, progress waits for no one." He put the crate in front of the shelf of bags of chocolate. Eli watched him closely.

"Well, uh, hey, you know, if you're gonna get rid of all this old, tacky Valentine's stuff, how about just giving away the rest of the chocolate?" He asked smoothly, giving him a half-lidded stare.

The man hummed and tapped his chin. "Well, I don't see why not. Take as much as you need!" He turned to Radar, hands folded politely. "Is there anything _you'd_ like to ask?"

"Well, actually, I do. So, last night I was at this Valentine's party, and I was freaking out because all the New Order was there, so I didn't want to say or do the wrong thing, so I didn't say anything at all. Few minutes later, Jessica walks up to me and asks me how I'm doing, and then she gives me a pep-talk and kisses me right here on my cheek!" He turned his head and tapped his cheek for the confused clerk to see. The man pursed his lips and tapped his foot.

"That was not a question."

"But it was an interesting story!"

"No, it wasn't." He spun on his heel and click-clacked down the isle. Radar's shoulders fell with a sigh. Eli kept his eyes on the man's trail, but patted Radar on the back.

"Forget him. I think it was an interesting story. Here," he handed him a bag of chocolate. Then he rolled off with his cart piled high with bags of candy. "If anything interesting happens to you over the months, I'll be back here on the day after Easter to chat with you, get some free candy, y'know, that thing." He chuckled as he walked to the door. "By then, they'll probably be getting ready for Halloween."

Radar waved at him. "Bye, Eli!"

"Bye, Radar!" When Eli left, Radar's stomach growled for that breakfast he'd missed. He looked down at the bag of candy, then at the shelves lined with them. Life was short. Why not go down to the grave and be able to say he'd eaten nothing but chocolate for a day straight. Maybe Jessica would give him the day off again to recover. It seemed like a good idea, anyways, and that's what he did.

 **So, this chapter's getting cut short, like some others. And it is here I sadly announce that my New Year's resolution to upload a chapter of some story every single day is being officially terminated. One of my parents expressly notified me that bedtime waits for no fan or writer in distress (also that she didn't care about my online Internet life. In short, I was burned). So, check back whenever you see an update in your inbox, because if I update, I update. If not, then not. Sorry to you, and to the Spirit of New Year's Resolutions. It will forever bemoan the failures of us humans to go on that diet, to keep up that hobby, to burn down those houses.**

 **Bob: What?**

 **Nevermind. Well, tomorrow we might see whose suggestion gets the honor of publishment on the 14** **th** **, Valentine's Day!**

 **Also, I found out how to get in touch with Crisper! (throws out the rotary-dial phone and pulls out a banana) Hullo?**

 **?: Hello, who's this?**

 **Who're you?**

 **?: Well, you called first. Tell me who you are.**

 **No, I don't feel safe! You tell!**

 **?: Well, I don't feel safe either!**

 **Well, let's flip a quarter!**

… **.**

 **?: Did you flip it?**

 **Yes, it says you have to tell.**

 **Crisper: Okay, I'm Crisper.**

 **Crisp! It's me, Gamer! What's going on?**

 **Crisper: Um… just stuff *nervously laughs*.**

 **Crisper, is everything okay? We've got a hashtag going on for you.**

 **Crisper: Oh! Uh, everything's fine! Hey, you're not mad at me for running off, are you?**

 **Not really. Just a bit. This recruit you sent, however, he's a little bit, how do I say this? A bit bad at his job?**

 **Crisper: Recruit? I didn't send anyone down there. What're you talking about?**

 **Bob: (stares suspiciously)**

 **(stunned silence)**

 **Crisper** : **Gamer?... Gamer, are you still there?**

 **imma call u bac, k?**


	5. Day Five: M JesseXPetra

**Hey, everyone, and welcome back to the Feb Tales~! Now, there's something I'm bothered by, and I'm not sure what it is yet, so let's get to the reviews before the shock hits me!**

 **Ariza Luca: Lol, thank you! I had so much fun writing it.**

 **TheAmberShadow: (fidgety) Yes. I agree. (is trying not to scream in the school library where I read this review) Thank you. (is losing it quickly. MUST. EVACUATE!) But in all seriousness, your review really makes me want to jump up and scream. I'm always glad to hear that I'm able to keep a character in, well, character. And as far as the Christmas decorations set up in October thing go, I heard it's something called business-days (like, twelve business-days till Christmas!), but they must be living in another timeline or something because, by golly, Santa needs to get back in line! It wasn't even Halloween last year and everyone was like 'Putting up the tree!'. A friend of mine said it wasn't even New Year's yet and stores were already putting up their Easter bunnies. Good grief!**

 **I forgot to mention this, but having Radar scream 'Golly, gee!' was a strong reference to TealEmpress's Minecraft: Silly Mode. If you understood the reference, please flood her PM box telling her how memorable and hilarious her story is. Don't go light on those reviews, either. I think that story's fantastic!**

 **And now to disclose the lucky winner of the Valentine's Day story! It. Is….**

 **TheAmberShadow! If you guys remember the first oneshot I wrote for this, in the header I told everyone how troubling it was to settle on a review. If I wasn't going to do the Romeara or the Aidesse, I was going to settle on this dorky story. Let's explore the dynamics of blind-dates and tomboys and dorks and above all, a good ol' ship! Hit it, Bob!**

…

 **Wait a second… THAT'S WHAT WAS BOTHERING ME! BOB, CRISPER SAID HE DIDN'T SEND YOU! WHAT HEINOUS PLOT DO YOU WISH TO… UM… PLOT AGAINST ME AND… STUFF?**

 **Bob: (breathes-**

 **(throws everything I can at him, happening hit one of the buttons)**

* * *

When are you going to start dating? Do you have someone for Valentine's? Doesn't it feel terrible to be all alone? Who knows. No. Hell no. Three answers from Petra to the three FAQs of the week. Every bathroom visit, every walk to class, even in class from the teachers! Could they leave a single woman to rest on Valentine's? No.

And not even her best friends.

"Petra, we've made a decision." Olivia had said on that fateful lunch break. Lukas and Axel were sitting close by, grinning as they munched on chips.

Petra had just leaned back in her chair and chuckled, sure it was about one of the school clubs they'd been going to. "What?" She sipped on her drink.

Then she'd giggled, laughing like it was a good thing about to come out of her mouth. "Lukas, Axel and I set you up on a blind-date with someone!"

Coke had spluttered onto her friends and she'd nearly fallen out of her chair. "Excuse me?"

"Well, I just thought that since Olivia and I were going out, and Lukas was going out with Maya, you should have someone too, so you won't be so lonely." Axel had said.

'I would've been fine on my own, you know.' Petra thought as she prepared herself in the mirror. That terrifying day was about a week ago, and now the terrifying night was here. She adjusted the hem of her cream-colored flare dress, bending over to glance at her toes in sandals. Something elegant and cute, her only tip from a beaming Olivia. Valentine was supposedly the saint of love. When his day was over, Petra was going to contact the saint of war, whoever he was, and have a little pow-wow with her. Oh, when she got her hands on Lukas and Axel….

The dress wasn't anything fancy, and she didn't care for makeup, only applying a thin layer of pink lip-gloss. She looked in the mirror one more time, checking to make sure her lazy bun didn't look too lazy, or her earrings didn't look vainly feminine. Besides the faux-diamond earrings, she wore a simple lace bracelet. She looked womanly, yet not too much so. If her mystery-man didn't like that, too bad. As she painfully learned, life was full of unfair surprises.

Her phone buzzed on the wooden dresser and she picked it up. A miniature of Olivia's face jumped up and down, next to a text.

U ready?

Petra bit her lip.

 _Ready for the date, or ready for the kill?_

Lol, yes or no?

 _Which one?_

Go outside. He said he's here. Have fun!

Petra dropped her phone into her purse and headed downstairs. She waved her dad goodbye and headed out of the door. Her jaw dropped open at what she saw. It wasn't the stretch limo casually awaiting her approach. It wasn't the freshly polished, black shoes standing directly in front of her. She didn't even see the perfectly ironed, azure tuxedo.

It was his face that caught her by surprise, but not the romantic, ooey-gooey 'caught her by surprise'. The only thing ooey-gooey about this was that she felt like she was about to throw up.

"Jesse Smith?"

He must've mistook the indignation in her voice as awestruck wonder, for he slid to a knee, gently took one of her hands from clutching her purse to her chest, and kissed it, gazing up at her with half-lidded eyes. "Petra Turner, the beauty of Ender High." When he stood, she discreetly rubbed the spit off her hand, horrified eyes locked with his. She felt like she was about to swoon. The dramatic, lovestruck look on his face instantly turned friendly and juvenile. He stepped out of the way to gesture at the limousine behind them. "I, uh, I rented a car. Limo. I'm sorry." He grazed her dress, and Petra almost wanted to hide from his eyes. "Oh, you look nice. I like that dress."

"Uh, thanks." _Go away_. He held out his arm, and Petra stared at it like it was the finger. When it finally got through to him that she wasn't going to take it, his grin fell, and his cheeks reddened. He walked to the car and she reluctantly followed, planning her friends' tombstones in the meanwhile. 'They did me a favor, so I returned it' seemed to fit.

Jesse's pep quickly returned at the door which he held open for her. "Milady?" He sprucely bowed and gestured to the inside of the limo. She eyed him as she stepped in. Jesse sat on the seat in front of her, smiling all the way. The car lurched forward with a low hum that sealed her fate. She faced the window, glaring at Jesse out of the corner of her eye. He was even worse in person.

Petra had heard and seen many a feat from Jesse Smith, the lanky dork at Ender High. What were her friends thinking when they sent her out with him of all people? She felt she'd rather be out with anyone other than him. Anyone! Even Gill seemed like a good idea right now. Jesse Smith? The little kid who laughed a cup of milk out of his nose during the open-house dinner? The embarrassment that creaked and scratched his way through a violin solo during the Christmas production last year? The nobody who jigged his way through the school dance with his girlfriend, the skeleton from lab wearing a wig?

"Um, Petra?" She looked to see him pouring her a drink from a green glass-bottle. He held her the skinny glass of yellow liquid. "Care for a drink?"

Sick indignation stabbed into her stomach and she swatted the glass out of his hand. "You're trying to make me drink beer?!"

Jesse's face paled and he fumbled to turn the bottle around. "It-it's apple juice! I swear! See?" He showed her the label. Sparkling apple-juice, juvenile and legal. Her shoulders relaxed but she still felt unused adrenaline pulsing to her head. Jesse put the bottle in its compartment, smiling with bright red dimples. "I, uh, y'know, just thought it'd be fancy?"

Her brows furrowed as she studied his face. She noticed the way his eyes shone. Was he about to cry? "Alright, then." She looked out the window again. She heard him sight and caught him slumping. Poor guy. Probably hadn't been on a date in his life, unless Ms. Bonesly counted. Even though she still felt able to tear an escape-hole through the car, she knew he was just trying to be friendly. It'd be unfair to treat him like a creep, even if he was doing a great job at coming off as one. Apart from her generally disliking him, of course. She slightly faced him, trying to be remotely interested in him. "Where are we going, anyways?"

He perked up, rubbing his hands together. "There's this Italian restaurant that I thought you'd like. It's top of the line, I think. You're not allergic to Italian food, are you?"

"No." He sighed again, thanking goodness under his breath. Petra raised a brow. "Overthinking, much?"

He ran a hand through his hair, giving her a crooked grin. "Sometimes… scratch that, a lot. But," he sent her a leery grin that made her lean away, "if you want me to stop thinking, I could." Red raided his entire face and he scooted away from her. He scratched his neck and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, that was kind of… out there? Clearly, I've spent enough time talking about myself. How about you? Do you like things? What kinds of things?"

Petra's lips flattened, and her fingers tapped her purse. How long did she have to stay out here? She caught a glimpse at the radio analog-clock. 7:36. "I like sports." When she glanced back at Jesse, he was leaning all the way forwards, balancing his head on his hand. His back folded like abstract origami, a pose sure to trouble him in his senior years. Did that hurt him?

"Go on."

Apparently not. "I'm on the soccer team."

"Oh, it must be nice, being a part of something. I'm sort of a lone-wolf person… well," he looked down with a grin, "not exactly. It's more like people don't really hang out with me, but I can't blame them. That's their decision." He grinned gently at her. "Is it fun being on the team?"

"Yeah, I guess. I don't really know-know the people there, so…." She trailed off and looked out the window. That was enough conversation for one day. Couldn't risk getting too friendly.

"Well, at least you have your other friends, Olivia… Lukas aand… what was the other guy's name? I can't remember." He snapped his fingers, trying to remember. "Axel! Got it. Yeah, when they were telling me about this, they seemed pretty nice. Are you good friends?"

She didn't make eye-contact. "Sure."

"Do you hang out a lot?"

"Yeah."

"Like on weekends, or just in school?"

"Whenever." He didn't say much after that. Finally, he caught the clue. She thought about dinner, and a wry smile formed in her mind. All this trouble, but at least she got to eat something.

The chauffer drove them to the restaurant in complete silence. Petra watched the view outside, Jesse watched his feet. All was well, or at least bearable. After a short while, the car ground to a stop right outside the restaurant and Jesse jolted into action. He fumbled for the door and swung it open. Before Petra could say anything, he was already standing outside, waiting to lead her. He gave her a wide, toothy smile. She rolled her eyes and reluctantly held out her hand.

An elderly couple spotted them, and the woman put a hand to her mouth, eyes twinkling at Jesse. "Oh, would you look at that, Rob. Such a gentleman." She said as they went inside.

"She's a lucky young lady to have such a nice, young man with her." Rob said. Petra almost lost her appetite.

Inside the restaurant, couples and triplets of friends and sometimes lovers sat at candle-lit, round tables covered with platters of expensive looking food. A waiter escorted her and Jesse to their table. Jesse almost jumped to pull her chair out before the waiter could. He smiled proudly as Petra slowly took a seat. Jesse picked up a menu to read it, and Petra slowly followed suit. If the old couple's comments about Jesse made Petra's hunger fade, the prices on the food items destroyed it.

She peeked from behind her menu at Jesse, who was still reading. "Uh, Jesse?"

He peeked around and smiled at her as if they were looking at each other from separate windows. "Oh, hi! Is there anything I can do for you?"

"How exactly are we going to pay for any of this?" When she asked this, his face brightened with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes. It was as if he'd been waiting for her to ask that. The table shook a bit when his hand made a furious dive for his pocket, thumping around until he plucked out a brown leather wallet for Petra to see.

"I'll be paying. You can get whatever you want. I have," he opened his wallet and pulled out some bills.

"Uh, Jesse, you probably shouldn't—"

"No, it's okay, I'd love to pay for this!"

"No, I mean you probably shouldn't take all your money out."

"Too late, I already did." Petra looked down to see crisp dollar bills and silver coins splayed across the table. "Let's see, I have…." She facepalmed as he quietly pointed the money, pointing out each bill and coin. "Two-hundred and three dollars, and ninety-eight cents. Yep!" He bellowed for the whole attendance to hear. "I've been saving my money up since the day Olivia came with the good news."

"And I've been saving my patience. I can see it was all in vain." She muttered too low for Jesse to hear. Or maybe he did. She felt a heaviness in her chest when he bit his lower lip and quickly stacked the money, put it into his wallet and whipped out his menu to cover his face. Maybe she shouldn't have said that. "Jesse?"

"Hmm?" He didn't take down his menu.

"Sorry." She hoped her cute voice would make him budge. He didn't move. "Jesse, I said I was sorry. I shouldn't have said that." He put his menu down, his pouting lips and demoralized eyes on display for Petra to see. What had she done? She tried to speak, but he raised his hand slowly over his face, which magically turned happy. He moved it down again, sad face. Up again, goofy face. He finally stopped to laugh at her stunned reaction.

"It's alright, Petra. We all make mistakes. I mean, if I had people to hang out with, I'm sure I'd do things that make them want to not hang out with me. So, what are you getting? I'm getting spaghetti."

Petra glanced at her menu. "Umm… how about fish?"

"If you want it. I personally don't like fish, but I guess it's just a personal preference. You seem like the kind of person who'd like fish, anyways."

Petra folded her arms and frowned. "How can you tell?"

"Oh! I didn't mean to say that. What I was trying to say is that, you know, people like different things." He folded his hands and looked down at them. Petra heard his feet tapping on the floor. Her glare softened.

After ordering, a little while passed before they got their meals. As Jesse said, he was having a huge plate of spaghetti. Petra settled on a platter of fish.

"So, what do you like to do, besides soccer?" Jesse asked.

Petra shrugged. "Not a whole lot. I like staying active, so when I'm not on the field, I'm just doing straight exercise. Lifting weights, sparring with dummies, stuff like that."

"You know how to use a sword?"

"A little."

"Hmm, that could be useful one day, like if you're alone at night and someone tries to attack you. All you'd have to do is stab him, and since you know how, you could…." He finally noticed the pained expression on her face. "I am so sorry! I didn't mean to imply that you were gonna have to kill people."

"Yeah." Petra stared at her fish, poking it with her fork.

"Really, I am so sorry. Here, why don't we talk about something else? Like would you rather! Would you rather stay in school for the rest of your life, or marry one of your instructors and never have to go to school again?"

In the middle of eating, Jesse's unexpected question nearly made her choke on her fish. She grasped for her glass of water and guzzled it down, all while Jesse looked on with growing guilt. When she finished, she couldn't glare at him, only give him a wistful look. "You don't hang out with lots of people, do you?"

He hung his head, that apologetic grin still on his face. "Not really. Unless instructors count!"

"You hang out with your instructors?"

His grin disappeared, and he nodded. "Yeah, they're the only people I can really talk to. Too bad they're busy most of the time." He met eyes with her again. "But enough about me, back to you! Um…." He drew his 'um' out while he tried to settle on a topic. "What's your favorite color?"

"Teal, or blue. I don't really know, somewhere in there."

"Turquoise?"

"I think so." She idly diced her fish as she spoke. "What's yours?"

Jesse glanced up in thought. "Well, I like blue, too. But not just because you said it. I really like blue on its own! It's a great color." She nodded. "Um… so, this is your first date?"

Petra fought the urge to groan. His question reminded her of her friends' dumbest decision yet, and suddenly made her more aware of the dork sitting across the table from her. "Yes." She grunted. Regret made her lose her appetite, especially when she looked up and saw Jesse's face fall.

"Oh… um, it's my first date, too."

She tried to act interested, redeeming. "It is?"

He smirked, forking around his spaghetti. "I hang out with instructors, remember? I don't get or give many requests. The closest thing I've had to a date is going bowling with my dad on my birthday."

"Tragic."

He shrugged. "Not really. My dad's pretty fun to hang around, and dating seemed pretty complicated. I like things simple."

"Same. I wish my friends would've realized that. I think dating is boring, meaningless."

He put down his fork, eyes widening with fear. "Really?"

"Yeah, totally. After this I'm gonna kill my friends. This sucks."

Jesse's eyes darted. She was getting bored, she'd said it herself! What did he do that was interesting? "Did I forget to mention I play guitar?"

Petra paused. "No?"

"Well, I do." A feigned look of boyish arrogance spread across his face, and he smoothed back his short, chocolate hair. "I play it very well, in fact." He dropped the act and reverted to his friendly face in an awkward split-second.

"… okay?"

"Also, you may or may not remember my violin performance at the Christmas play last year?"

Just thinking about it made Petra want to cover her ears. She could feel a tremor in her back at the memory of his claws-on-chalkboards playing. "Yes."

"That was a good night. Also, I had this skeleton once, and—"

"Hey, Jesse?"

"Yes?"

She bit her lip. How did she say this? "Um, everyone remembers that. We all saw it, remember?"

He chuckled, fidgeting with his thumbs. "Yeah, I know. I'm just running out of things to say, to avoid the awkward silences and all."

"Yeah, but why not tell me something about you that I don't know?"

His eyes widened and he straightened his back. "Really? Okay, then. Let's see…." He drummed his finger on his chin, searching his memories for something unknown and impressive. The thought didn't hit him, it thundered him. He thrust a finger into the air at an angle that tipped him backwards. "Aha—Whoa!" When his chair hit the terrifying Point of No Return, he reached for the table in hopes of saving himself. Instead of grabbing the firm wood, his fingers latched onto the tablecloth and tore it off the table, along with the plates of food, glasses of water and burning candles. He and their dinner clattered to the floor, and Petra shot up from her seat. As soon as Jesse was on fire, he was out, the glasses of water saving him from serious injury. Petra breathed a sigh of relief, but then made the mistake of looking up. Everywhere she saw, someone faced them with either a look of amusement or terror. Petra's face reddened. Their eyes made her feverish.

A waiter with a familiarly-bearded face rushed over to them, holding a tray of filled glasses with impressive skill. "Ha! He totally knocked that table over!"

Petra's face scrunched with surprise and disdain. "Gill?"

"Oh, hey, Petra! I work here now, see?!" He pinched an edge of his apron to show her. She blinked in disbelief. A taller, older man in a uniform stormed out of the kitchen and grabbed Gill's arm in one motion, dragging him back into the room. "Oh, this is my boss. He kind of looks like he's about to fire me." He said as he was taken away.

Petra shook her head to refresh herself and looked down at Jesse. He sat in a demoralized mess of spaghetti and fish, staring at his legs. Petra walked around the table and kneeled beside him, trying to ignore everyone.

"Are you okay, Jesse?"

He was slow to answer, and he avoided her eyes. "Yeah, let's just go. You didn't want to be here anyways."

The walk to the car and the drive home were both silent. Now Jesse stared out the window while Petra stared at him. She hadn't meant to be rude, but she was. Jesse hadn't meant to be awkward, but he was, too. She didn't think about punishing Olivia, Axel or Lukas. She was too concerned with Jesse.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Yeah."

"You look kind of sad."

"It's okay, I'll be fine." He sighed.

She sighed as well, looking at her feet. She thought about their date, wondering what it would've been like if she'd been a bit kinder. Thinking about it, she felt she might've enjoyed it more. If only she hadn't been so focused on him being a dork, she'd be able to see him the way he truly was. Socially awkward, but sweet, gentle. "Jesse, I'm sorry about tonight."

He looked at her with furrowed brows. "Wait, why are _you_ sorry? I'm the one who messed everything up."

"No, you didn't. Knocking over the table was an accident. I'm sorry because maybe things would've gone a bit better if I wasn't being so rude."

"Nah, I'm always like this."

"Yeah, you're sweet."

His lip curled, and he shifted in his seat to face her. "What?"

"You're really sweet. I was kind of expecting you to be all arrogant and stuff like that." She brushed a strand of orange hair out of her eyes, looking at her sandals again. "It's kind of why I hated the idea of dating so much."

"Oh." Jesse looked down at his hands, twiddling his thumbs.

"I mean, hey, you were really weird and a bit creepy at first, but I think you can be easy to talk to."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Just," she squinted, "maybe don't talk about your 'finer hours'?"

He chuckled. "Right, I'll try not to do that. So, I know tonight was really tough and all, but," he breathed through his teeth, clamping on his neck. "Would you like to… try it again, sometime? You could bring your friends if you like, so it won't be so awkward next time around. _If_ there is a next time around."

Petra studied Jesse's face. How could she say 'no' to it? She knew she should at least give him a second chance. She nodded, and he gasped with surprise. "Seriously? I was really expecting you to say no, but, wow!" he clasped his hands together. "Okay, so next time we should probably go to an arcade or somewhere where I won't knock over the tables. Sound good?"

"Sure. Sounds great."

"Great."

They sat in awkward silence on the drive home.

* * *

 **Cutting it short because BEDTIME! I wish I could do something better with this, because I feel the ending fell really flat, but if that's what it took to get you your Valentine's due, that's what it took! Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Also, the Feb Tales are NOT over! Keep leaving suggestions, guys! Also, please leave some general reviews about chapters themselves, too. You know how much I love feedback. Well, cya! I'm gonna close it myself, then interrogate Bob. I'll show you guys the recordings next chapter.**

 **(closes it)**


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